Crater’s Top 10 WCW Cruiserweights

10. Chavo Guerrero Jr.
Chavo entered WCW in Mid-1996 and I didn’t know much about him besides the fact that he is the nephew of Eddie Guerrero. Knowing that, I had high expectations for Chavo. Up until 1998, Chavo was mainly used as an opener or lower card worker. In 1998, Chavo really started getting a push as he started a feud with his uncle, Eddie. Eddie pretty much made Chavo his slave during this feud and made him wear a shirt that said “Eddie Guerrero Is My Favorite Wrestler”. In late ’98, Chavo started carrying around a stuffed horses head on a stick named Pepe that he talked to. Pepe would soon meet his demise at the hands of a wood chipper, courtesy of Norman Smiley. Now that Chavo is in WWE, it’s a shame they can’t find anything to do with him except feud with a leprechaun.

9. La Parka
Ah…The Chairman of WCW, La Parka. What a magnificent entertainer. Sure, he’s not well known for winning or having championships, but the man can entertain and knows how to use a chair. Plus he possibly holds the quickest loss to Bill Goldberg in history. Also does anyone remember the La Parka vs Macho Man match when La Parka gave Macho Man a Diamond Cutter, then revealed himself to be DDP? And who could forget the l.W.o? La Parka left WCW after Lucha Libre ran it’s course and headed back to Mexico.

8. Billy Kidman
When Billy Kidman first joined WCW, his image was weak and he just reminded me of your average jobber. That soon all changed when Raven arrived in WCW. By forming the Flock and recruiting Kidman into the grunge-like stable, it made Kidman more noticeable, definitely skankier. At Fall Brawl 1998, Kidman turned on Raven helping Perry Saturn get the win and making Kidman a face. Also by this time, Kidman had donned a new look, a wife beater and blue jean shorts. His hair was still greasy but he managed to lose a bit of the skank factor. The next night on Nitro he won the Cruiserweight Championship which he kept for nearly 7 months. Later on in his WCW career, 2000 I think, he was part of a stable called the New Blood and he feuded with Hulk Hogan which was hilarious. Billy Kidman now works as a trainer for Florida Championship Wrestling.

7. Juventud Guerrera
Yes, this easily could be Tee Shirt Joe from http://www.fastcustomshirts.com in a mask, but no it is the “Juice”, Juventud Guerrera. Juventud or “Juvi” as he’s more commonly known had spoke very little English coming into WCW. Mean Gene tried to interview him once on Nitro and he couldn’t speak English and the crowd booed. Mean Gene, you dick. Juvi lost his mask in a match against Chris Jericho and Jericho proceeded to wear the mask in his matches for awhile. Juvi was apart of the infamous l.W.o. He became an announcer on WCW Thunder for several months while he was injured. Upon entering the WWE in 2005, he formed a stable called The Mexicools. His run in WWE lasted a little less than 7 months before he was fired.

6. Psicosis
Psicosis first gained recognition in the U.S. in ECW in his death matches with Rey Mysterio, Jr. and their feud continued in WCW beginning at Bash At The Beach 1996…wait a minute…Bash At The Beach 1996, didn’t something historic happen there? Oh well…Psicosis was yet another member of the infamous l.W.o., was managed by Sonny Onoo for a brief period during his feud with Ultimo Dragon and was part of the greatest Luchadore tag team in history being Psicosis & La Parka. Psicosis would become a 2 Time! 2 Time! 2 Time! WCW Cruiserweight Champion and eventually lose his mask in a Hair vs Mask match against Billy Kidman in 1999.

5. Chris Jericho
What can I say about this man that hasn’t already been said? He’s the best in the world at what he does and he’s currently my favorite wrestler in the WWE. But I’m here to talk about his time in WCW, and boy what a time it was. Sure, his entrance music was a blatant rip off of Pearl Jam’s “Evenflow” but that didn’t stop him from being awesome. Honestly, I didn’t start liking Jericho until late ’97-early ’98 when he made his heel turn. His matches as a face with Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko were mediocre at best but it wasn’t until he turned heel that his career really picked up, providing some of the funniest promos and storylines in WCW history. His feud with Dean Malenko in 1998 happens to be one of my all time favorite feuds. Jericho had a short feud with Juventud Guerrera in which Juvi constantly asked for a shot at Jericho’s Cruiserweight Championship, but Jericho constantly said no. They ended up having a Title vs. Mask match at SuperBrawl VIII. Juvi lost the match and was forced to remove his mask. Jericho began an ongoing gimmick of collecting and wearing to the ring trophy items from his defeated opponents, such as Guerrera’s mask, Prince Iaukea’s Hawaiian dress, and a headband from Disco Inferno. Jericho is a 4 time Cruiserweight Champion and is a genius when it comes to the mic and a master in the ring. He should easily be on anyone’s top 10 list because he simply is the best in the world at what he does.

4. Eddie Guerrero
Arguably the greatest latino wrestler of all time, Eddie Guerrero was loved by millions including myself. Every time I watch the video above, I get very emotional because it’s still hard to believe that someone I grew up watching and had a lot of admiration for is gone. Eddie was another person I liked in WCW but liked them a lot better when he was a heel. His match with Rey Mysterio Jr. at Halloween Havoc 1997 is unbelievable and is among my top 10 matches of all time. The l.W.o has been mentioned 3 times already on this list, so we have to mention that Eddie was the leader. Eddie was involved in a serious car accident on New Year’s Day 1999 that cut short the l.W.o storyline. Guerrero left the WCW in early 2000 along with Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, & Perry Saturn. They headed to the WWF as the Radicalz but it wouldn’t be until 2004 that Eddie would get the biggest push of his life. In February 2004, Eddie defeated Brock Lesnar to win the WWE Championship. On November 13, 2005, Eddie was found unconscious in his hotel room in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by his nephew, Chavo. Chavo attempted CPR, but Eddie was pronounced dead when paramedics arrived on the scene. He was 38 years old. R.I.P. Eddie Guerrero.

3. Rey Mysterio Jr.
This man was my favorite wrestler for many years and is still one of my favorites to this day. When he busted onto the scene in WCW in 1996, the stuff he could do blew my mind and I never thought it was possible to do stuff like that in wrestling. The first match I ever seen him in was against Dean Malenko at the Great American Bash 1996 and even though he lost the match, I was still amazed. That same night, I became a Dean Malenko fan as well. So every time these two faced each other, I knew I was in for a treat. Honestly though, Rey Mysterio Jr. could wrestle a pillow and make the match look good. My favorite match Rey ever participated in was against Eddie Guerrero at Halloween Havoc 1997. Chris Jericho and Rey also had great chemistry in the ring. Rey Mysterio Jr. was unmasked at SuperBrawl IX after losing a Hair vs Mask match against Kevin Nash & Scott Hall. Rey is a 5 time WCW Cruiserweight Champion and he stayed with WCW until the end of the company on March 26th, 2001.

2. Dean Malenko
No Gimmick Needed here…well, I guess The Man of 1000 Holds is a gimmick but whatever. Dean Malenko may have no personality, no mic skills, etc. but he is simply put one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. I’ll go as far to say he is the best technical wrestler of all time. This man’s matches never cease to amaze me. His feud with Jericho in 1998 is legendary. The way that storyline was built up, as much as I liked Jericho, everyone wanted to see Malenko beat the shit out of Jericho. Malenko held the Cruiserweight Championship 4 times in WCW and is considered the greatest WCW Cruiserweight Champion of all time.

1. Ultimo Dragon
Ultimo Dragon originally came into WCW billed as “Ultimate Dragon” but was changed to Ultimo Dragon because it translates to “Last Dragon” and his gimmick was that he claimed to be the final student of Bruce Lee. The first match I ever saw Ultimo Dragon wrestle in was against Rey Mysterio Jr. at WCW Hog Wild 1996. At first I thought this was just another luchadore for Rey Mysterio Jr. to beat. Boy, was I wrong. The Dragon amazed me just as much as Rey Mysterio Jr. amazed me when I first saw him wrestle. Ultimo Dragon is also the inventor of the Asai Moonsault which impressed me. I only wish he had stuck around longer in WCW, he left the company in 1998 due to an arm injury and announced his retirement for the first time.